Sussex League cricket: Roffey are champs - Middleton relegated

The champions!

Published:16:00Sunday 06 September 2015

Roffey beat Middleton to clinch the Sussex Premier Lague title - and the result also relegatd the men from Sea Lane.

It was all to play for on the final day of the league season with East Grinstead still in with a chance of pipping Roffey to the championship, but they did what they needed to do against Middleton - and with a bit to spare.

Roffey put the visitors in and soon had them in trouble at eight for two. Middleton recovered but were never entirely comfortable at the crease and five wickets for Ban Manenti and three from George Fleming saw Middleton all out for 125.

Their top scorer was Back Hemingway with 41.

Roffey were strong favourites at the halfway stage and 37 not out from Josh Fleming and 47 from Mike Norris got them over the line in 19.2 overs with eight wickets to spare.

East Grinstead can count themselves unlucky to finish second, ending only four points behind Roffey thanks to a last-day seven-wicket victory at home to Horsham.

Roffey were strong favourites at the halfway stage and 37 not out from Josh Fleming and 47 from Mike Norris got them over the line in 19.2 overs with eight wickets to spare.

The visitors totalled 171 thanks in no small part to an unbeaten 50 from No9 Craig Gallagher. Bradley Hatchett was the bowling hero with six for 60.

The EG reply was not straightforward but 52 from William Adkin underpinned their chae and they got there with three wickets to spare.

Preston Nomads clinched third place by beating Brighton by 99 runs.

Nomads managed 178 with opener Oliver Gatting their top scorer with 38 but Brighton never got going in response, and were all out for 79 as Carl Simon took seven for 31.

Fourth place finishers were Bexhill, who ended their season with a win at Eastbourne, who also go down.

Sussex star Ashar Zaidi’s 124 not out held their innings together and the total of 235 for eight always looked good enough. Brighton stumbled to 127 all out in reply with Dean Crawford taking five for 63 - and Eastbourne went down with Middleton.

The final day’s other premier division game, a mid-table affair, saw Billingshurst win at Cuckfield.

Nick Patterson’s five for 47 restricted the visitors to 126 all out but it was plenty as Cuckfield collapsed - Marcus Campopiano with 36 was the only man to score more than ten as the hosts slipped to 75 all out.